warne



(No Model.) 3 SheetsQ-SheetI.

E. WABNE.

SEPARATOR AND GONGENTRATOR FOR ORES, &c. No. 258,331., PatentedMay 23, 188 2.

WITNESSES J IJV V'EJV'TOR 64 1 Wa/me/ N, PEYERS, Fholomrw n mr. wnmn mn, D4 C4 3 SheetsSheet 2.

E. WARNE.

SEPARATOR AND GONGENTRATOR FOR ORES, &o.

(No Model.)

- No. 258,331. Patented May 23, 1882.

N PETERS Pham-Lnhn n hur. wnhin um, 5.6.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' E. WARNE.

SEPARATOB AND GONGENTRATOR FOE ORES, &c. v No. 258,331. Patented Maly 23 1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIJAH WARNE, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE WARNE GONGENTRATOR AND SEPARATOR COMPANY.

SEPARATOR AND CONCENTRATOR FOR ORES, 84.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,331, dated May 23, 1882.

Application filed July 52, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that], ELIJAH WARNE, of Easton, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Separators and Concentrators for Ores and other Materials, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machinery for separating ores and other materials by the dry pro- I0 cess. I separate the mass of material by gravityinto sub-groups, each composed of particles of unequal size, but substantially equal weight, and I subsequently separate the particles of each group according to size by a screening process. It is not new,,broadly considered, to employ this process of separation; 'but in order to effect accurate and well-marked separation, and also in order to adapt the machinery to efl'ect this-result upon ores and materials of various kinds, it becomes necessary to render the parts capable of nice adjustment, so that they may be set or adjusted according to the requirements of the work and the nature of the material operated on.

2 I make use, as has heretofore been the case of an air-blast or forced air-current for putting the material to be acted on in motion, so that its constituent particles may have opportunity. todrop according to their different weights.

0-111. doing this, however, I force the material by means of air through a nozzle, (in which the air bears with equal pressure upon the ma-ss,) from which it suddenly emerges into an exhaust or separating chamber, where it is re- 5-1ieved to a great extent of the air-pressure, the chamber being provided with air-admitting openings at all suitable points,which are adj ustable to regulate the incoming of the surrounding atmospheric air. The particles which un- 0 der these conditions are blown out from the nozzle fall, according to their weigh t, upon the floor of the chamber, provided with pockets or openings, into which the particles fall. The

heaviest particles fall in the pockets nearest.

4 5 the nozzle, and so on. The pockets are adjustable in size in a direction lengthwise of the chamber, or at right angles to the current which passes over them, and can be set or adjusted to a nicety independently of one another, so as to each receive particles of prede- 5o termined weight. Forinstanee,theiirstpocket can be set to receive particles weighing one grain and upward, the next to receive those weighing between a grain and a half-grain, and

so on. Owing to the adj ustability oi the pock- 5 5 ets, the subdivision maybe carried to a fine point, and the material can be divided into as many sub-groups as desired.

The nature of my improvements and themanncr in which the same are or may be carried into effect can, however, best be explained and understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan of a machine or apparatus embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a section on line4: 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5, Fig. 3.

The granulated ore or other material is fed to a power-driven rotating screen, A, through the meshes of which pass those particles which are not above the desired size. The large pieces pass off from the end of the screen into a spout, A, whence they are discharged from the apparatus. The particles which pass through the meshes of the screen fall into an inclined chute, A which conveys them into the feed-hopper B. This hopper, when the machine is in operation, is kept full, so as to prevent upward passage of air through it. The feed'of the ore 8o from the hopper is regulated by a power-driven feed screw or worm, B, which fills the lower cylindrical discharge end of the hopper and prevents the downward passage of the ore, ex-' cept as to those particles which, during its ro- 8 5 tation, are carried down positively by its spiral flange or thread. The particles thus fed along by the screw fall therefrom into the passage or tube to, whose shape in vertical and horizontal section is shown plainly in Figs. 3 and 5. The. 0 passage at its rear expands into the air-chamber of a blower or air'forcing apparatus, 0, of any suitable type. It also at this point inclines upward for some distance, in order to prevent possible backflow of ore dust or parti- 5 cles, which mightchoke the blower. In front of the point where the ore enters it it again expands, so as to form a flattened fan-like noz zle.

fall. Theore in thislposition is more favorably;

placed to be effectively acted on by the airblast.

In order to regulate at will the blast according to the conditions of the work and the nature of the material operated on, I provide the air-inlet of the blower with a gate or door, a which can be opened more or less, so as to regulate the air-supply. The air, together with thematerial driven by it, emerges from the nozzle into a chamber, D, in which the granulated material, although still carried along by the air and by the impetus acquired by it in its forced passage through the nozzle, is relieved from pressure to a great extent, so thatihe particles are at liberty to fall upon the floor of the chamber byforce of gravity, this taking place at points more or less remote from the nozzle, according to the weight of the particles. The

chamber should be so formedand arrangedthat it will be in more or less free communication with the outside air, as may be required.

To this end I form in-its sides and top' open;- ings'b at various points as large as requ red,

and provided with doors or sliding covers, by which the size of the openingsmay be regulated. For the same purposeI closemthe far end of the chamber by a door, 0, whichcan be opened more or less, as required, in order to regulate or modify the airblast or current In that portion of the floorof thewchambcr,

over which the material is blown I form a seriesof pockets or openings, D, crosswise of the current. These pockets receive the particles as they fall.; It is not new with me, broadly con. sidered, to provide such pockets oropenings for thispurpose; but with pockets asheret'ofore arranged Ihave found it impracticable to effect accurate separation into sub-groups ofdiffering Weights, while, even if separation be effectedwith approximate accuracy in working one kind of ore, the same pockets will be en-' tirely ineffective when operating with or workv I find ing on another kind of ore or material. that thesedifficulties can be overcomeby having the openings or pockets independently adjustable in width, so that each may be made of a sizeadapted to the requirements ofihe,

This adjustability may be obtained in various ways.-- One simple means shown in the drawingsisto make the cross-partitions d,-which work.

separate the pockets, independently I movable and adjustablein the direction ofthelength of the chamber. To this-end they are shown supported by side .pins or flanges, d, which.

rest in longitudinal guide-grooves d formed at each edge of the opening in the floor, in

which the partitions are'placed. The partitions are shown in Fig. 3 as quite near together. This, however, is because of the contracted size of the sheet in which the drawing is made.

The ore which falls into this passage is by the air-blast driven in a mass through they In practice the openings are widerand are separated by more of an intervahfrom one another. From each pocket the granular ma- 7o terial received therein falls into a separate compound screen, E, of any known and approved construction, in which the particles are separated by size. The compound screen shown ;in the drawings is a horizontal and laterally-vibrating one, formed of a number of superposed wire screens-the coarsest at the top, and each of those below successively being finer than. the one above it. Motion is im parted to it by means of a crank-pin, 0, working in a longitudinally-slotted arm or bracket, f, attached to the screen, the crank-pin being ona shaft, 9, driven from the main shaft h, which, through suitable intermediaries, as

shown, actuates the various moving parts of wire-screen chamber Fffto carry such material.

as .may sift through the sides of F to the dischargependof the exhaust-chamber D. At this point in the chamber D is a like con veyer, 'h, which carries out therefrom the ma-,

terialreceived from-conveyersgas well asthatportion of the material which is too-light to fall intimeto be caught in the pockets D.

It will be seen that in this machine I have the parts entirely under control, ineansbein g proVided-wherebyI can at will regulate the blast, the feed, and the exhaust, and adjust the size-of the gravitating openings orpockets. I am thus enabled to alter the adjustments so that-one machine can be made to answer for operation on or working all kinds and varieties of ores and other minerals or materials, and so that the machine can in workingany given material be set toeftect with the greatest accuracy and precision the separation of that material into subgroups of any desired character.

What I claiintas new'and of myinvcntion is as follows:

1. The improvement inthe art of separating ores and other materials which consists in carrying, and forcing. the entire material in granular form, by means of an air-blast, through a nozzle, whence it is blown over a series of separate openingsor pockets, substantially asand for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. In machinery for separating'orconcentrating ores and other materials, the combinationof the blower or air forcing apparatus, the air-duct leading therefrom, and the ore-feedin g devicecommunicating with and opening into said air-duct at a point intermediate between its nozzle or discharge end and the blower, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. In machinery for separating or concentrating ores and other materials, the combination of a blower or air-forcing apparatus, an air-duct leading therefrom into an exhaustehamber, an ore-feed device communicating with and opening into said air-duct at a point intermediate between its nozzle or discharge end and the blower, and a series of separate ore-receiving pockets arranged on or in the floor of the exhaust-chamber, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. The feed-hopper and rotating feed-worm therein, in combination with the blower, the air-duct and its discharge nozzle, and the separate ore-receiving pockets or openings, under the arrangement and for operation as herein shown and set forth.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the air and ore discharge nozzle with the exhaust-chamber, provided with openings for admission of air and means exhaust-chamber, the ore-receiving pockets adjustable in width, and means, substantially as described, whereby the communication of said blower and exhaustchamber with. the surrounding air can be varied at pleasure, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of June, A. D.. 1881.

ELIJAH WAR-NE.

W'itnesses:

E. A. DICK, N. (3. LANE. 

